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Archive for the 'Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film' Category
Shelly on Film: The Use and Abuse of Chinese Cinema, Part Two
By Shelly Kraicer
This is the conclusion of Shelly Kraicer's essay "The Use and Abuse of Chinese Cinema (in the West)." Click here for the introduction and first half of the essay.
Oxhide 2 (dir. Liu Jiayin)
4. Exemplary Asian independent art cinema. This misreading has something in common with Number 1 ("Exotic, colorful diversion") , but in a more rarified, sophisticated form. It also contradicts (but exists in a weird sort of symbiosis with) Number 5 below. There is supposed to be something essentially "Asian" (meaning usually East Asian) about the predominant mode of contemporary art cinema now celebrated in festivals worldwide. Films that convey China's backwardness (see Number 6 below) often employ a Andre Bazin-influenced mise en scène that is post-realist in its effect. Long takes, a demandingly slow pace, opaque storytelling, a distant motionless camera, inexpressive, non-professional actors, lots and lots of visual and narrative blankness, emptiness, stillness. Examples abound, the best recent exponents being Yang Heng (Betelnut, Sun Spots), Yang Rui (Crossing the Mountain), and in her own inimitable way, Liu Jiayin (Oxhide and Oxhide 2).
This analysis reduces an often surprising diversity of film styles into something that is assumed to spring, essentially and almost automatically, from a specific historical and cultural background, with local visual and pictorial traditions transmuted directly into their filmic correlatives. This in a sense over-simplifies and over-particularizes Chinese filmmakers who are utterly fluent (more than most of us) in the world-cinema image market (you can easily find films from everywhere, from every era, in China's wonderfully eclectic bootleg DVD shops). By insisting on the "Chinese-ness" of these films, a special understanding, a privileged access to the films' "essences," may reserved for Sinological experts.
5. International art cinema master(s') works. On the other hand, it's just as easy to abuse Chinese cinema as some sort of proof that master directors work in a universal style recognizalbe to experts, critics, professionals, and well-trained festival audiences. In absolute contradistinction to Number 4 above, this attitude says "you don't need to know anything about China and its specific cultural history to appreciate these films. They are great cinema, full stop". This can be a branding exercise, like Number 2 ("Commercial entertainment"), but one for a more discriminating audience who needs to be reassured that she or he will be able to enjoy the latest Chinese masterpiece without unduly stressing over its foreignness. This is global art, i.e. It belongs to "Us," not to its incidentally "Other" creators. Hegemony reasserts itself as art / film criticism, denaturing a film for our appropriation and viewing pleasure (with emphasis on the pleasure). This tendency can be seen in the flattering (for a forty-year-old director) inclusion of the latest Jia Zhangke film I Wish I Knew in the "Masters" section of the Toronto International Film Festival programme.
Tags: betelnut, chinese cinema, Film Festivals, hu jie, little moth, liu jiayin, other half, oxhide, peng tao, shelly kraicer, shelly on film, though i am gone, yang heng, ying liang
Posted in Academic Resources, Chinese Cinema Today, Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | No Comments »
Shelly on Film: The Use and Abuse of Chinese Cinema, Part One
Opening Ceremony of the 7th China Independent Film Festival in Nanjing (photo courtesy of CIFF)
While attending the China Independent Film Festival last month in Nanjing (October 2010), I was invited to give a talk the next morning at the International Youth Art Film Summit Forum, a symposium for young directors organized by the Festival and Nanjing University. I couldn't really decline, especially since I was benefiting from the CIFF's generous hospitality and its wonderful programming. The problem: "forums" like these in the Chinese film festival context are rather more like formal ceremonies, featuring a series of presiding officials who drone out banal speeches welcoming the scholars and celebrating young Chinese directors' unbridled creativity.
Various foreign guests are typically invited to give what (is hoped) are equally generic talks outlining their respective institutions and their wholesome and uncomplicated eagerness to cooperate with China, Chinese directors, and Chinese cinema institutions. I was advised to do likewise. I came up with something that I hoped might interest or at least not bore some of these young filmmakers who were supposed to be in the audience. My talk was called "The Use and Abuse of Chinese Cinema (in the West)". Since it was to be an eight minute speech (including translation, I think I went a bit over), I boiled it down to a list of seven abuses.
What follows below is a recreation from memory of the speech I gave, somewhat expanded from the original version. I've also added various clarifications (and complications), and the examples not included in the speech itself (as I was advised not to name specific films in front of officials). I've set off these extra sections by italicizing them, so what I hope results is something like a text that alternates between more formal discourse and a parallel informal stream of commentary that supplements, qualifies and even challenges my main argument.
I start with a question: why do western film festivals need Chinese cinema? Films from the People's Republic of China are eagerly sought after by festivals around the world, enjoy a generous portion of festivals' programming slots, and receive a substantial share of prestigious competition prizes. This doesn't happen by accident. The international festival system does not privilege films on the basis of "excellence" alone. Complex questions of power, commercial viability, and national self-representation come into play. So, phrased another way, the question becomes: What functions — political, commercial, and cultural — does Chinese cinema serve in the western festival and distribution system? How are these films used, what interests does programming them serve?
Tags: chinese cinema, Film Festivals, shelly kraicer, shelly on film
Posted in Academic Resources, Chinese Cinema Today, Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | 3 Comments »
Shelly on Film: Deeper Into Dragons and Tigers
Rumination (dir. Xu Ruotao)
The 2010 Vancouver International Film Festival (September 30 to October 15) has just concluded. This was my fourth year programming Chinese language films for VIFF's Dragons and Tigers section for East Asian cinema; this year's edition featured 43 features and 21 shorts, co-curated by Tony Rayns and myself. I selected 19 features and three shorts: 12 from China, 4 from Hong Kong, 3 from Taiwan, 2 from Malaysia, and one from Singapore. Details of the films from the People's Republic of China, including comments derived from my catalogue notes for VIFF, can be found below.
Within the D&T section, the Dragons and Tigers Award for Young Cinema, programmed by Tony Rayns, featured 8 films by young, as yet "undiscovered" directors. The jury, comprised of Jia Zhangke, Bong Joon-ho, and Denis Côté, awarded its prize to the Japanese film Good Morning World!, directed by Hirohara Satoru. Two special mentions were awarded: one to the Chinese film Rumination (Fanchu), by Xu Ruotao, and one to Phan Dang Di's Vietnamese film Don't Be Afraid B!
As usual, I chose more films from China than from any other territory. I try each year to balance at least two goals in my programming: I want to give VIFF audiences a sense of the increasing variety of Chinese language filmmaking, both in the independent sector, and in commercial genres. At the same time, it has always been VIFF's policy and my own personal preference to highlight the work of independent young filmmakers working outside of the system of official censorship and distribution (independent tizhiwai films). Indie documentary filmmaking continues to be particularly strong in China, and I could only choose a few examples: it would have been easy to devote the bulk of my 9 feature length film slots to Chinese independent films this year.
Tags: 607, aftershock, condolences, crossing the mountain, dragons and tigers, fortune teller, high life, i wish i knew, jia zhangke, karamay, liu jiayin, rumination, shelly kraicer, single man, thomas mao, vancouver, viff, winter vacation, xu tong, ying liang, zhao dayong
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Shelly on Film: Tremors and Traumas: Notes on Three Chinese Earthquake Movies
Buried (dir. Wang Libo)
It's been earthquake movie season in China ever since the terrible Wenchuan earthquake that struck Sichuan province on May 12th 2008. I've seen fourteen of these films since then — documentaries, features, and shorts, including titles like May Day, Don't Cry Mom, Who Killed Our Children, and Quake de Love — and I've by no means done a systematic search. This doesn't include the films that mention the earthquake in passing: the number would then increase three- or four-fold.
What makes this subject so essential for Chinese filmmakers to grapple with? The Sichuan earthquake is a disaster seared into the consciousness of most people living in China, where national mass media gave saturation coverage to the earthquake and its aftermath. The subject naturally lends itself both to propaganda-style tales of heroic rescure and moral uplift, and equally to outsider critiques of government policies that made the destruction worse. It seems that there is an earthquake for every political colouring, and every possible calibration of mass media coverage (and exploitation).
I'd like to look a bit more closely at a couple of films from what we might call opposite ends of the spectrum, and one right in the middle. On one end is Wang Libo's Buried (Yanmai), an independent documentary from 2009. Situated at the other end of is Feng Xiaogang's massive blockbuster Aftershock (Tangshan da dizhen, 2010), the most popular Chinese film in history, measured by the box office. And right in the middle is 1428, Du Haibin's documentary from 2009.
Tags: 1428, aftershock, buried, china, cinema, du haibin, earthquake, feng xiaogang, indie cinema, tangshan, wang libo
Posted in Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | 1 Comment »
Shelly on Film: Bumping against Boundaries in Chinese Film Culture
Thomas Mao (dir. Zhu Wen)
During a recent interview with an independent Chinese journalist, I was somewhat taken aback, but also quite amused by her rather pointed question to me: "In an online discussion of an article you wrote recently, some [anonymous] commenter was skeptical that Westerners could be so interested in debating Chinese movies and ideology, when in fact it has nothing to do with them. What do you think?"
What could I think? I remember reading the original comment the journalist was referring to, and noting at the time that the implied (and oft-heard) background to this attitude was something along the lines of "outsiders [like you] are fundamentally unequipped to comment on (write about / research about / review) our Chinese films (painting / dramas / novels), so just what do you think you are doing, anyway?
At the risk of answering one cultural judgment with another, I find this display of an aggressively protective attitude to Chinese culture to be distinctly Beijing-ese. Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai tend to be much more relaxed about foreigners in their midst, given their cosmopolitan histories. Their urban intellectual cultures more readily admit "other" voices — foreign voices, alternative points of view — with fewer hangups than Beijing's thriving and otherwise open intellectual culture. Beijing has long been the capital of mainland Chinese independent film and avant-garde culture. No less than half of the dGenerate Films catalog are by Beijing-based filmmakers: Jia Zhangke, Liu Jiayin, and Cui Zi'en, to name a few. And yet, despite its openness to progressive artisitic activity, Beijing has an intensely policed view of the cultural "other" and the potential role of these "others" in its cultural discourse.
(Article continues after the break.)
Tags: beijing, chinese cinema, crossing the mountain, independent film, shelly kraicer, thomas mao
Posted in Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | 5 Comments »
Shelly on Film: From Buenos Aires to Beijing
Monday, May 31st, 2010
Buenos Aires Festival of Independent Cinema
I was able to attend two events last month that showcased the strength, diversity, and vitality of new independent documentaries from China. The first, at BAFICI, the Buenos Aires Festival of Independent Cinema, was a section on recent Chinese independent docs that I curated for the festival. Intended as an abbreviated look back at the past 2 years or so of Chinese indies, I selected eight films (but could easily have chosen twenty) that represented different directions in what I called "radical" documentary filmmaking (using "radical" as broadly defined, in form or in content) in China today:
Tags: back to daxian, bafici, beijing, Chinese Independent Documentary Film Festival, fanhall, ji dan, martian syndrome, on the road, song of love maybe, songzhuang, spiral staircase of harbin, tape, village elementary
Posted in Chinese Cinema Events, Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | 1 Comment »
Shelly on Film: The Twenty Minute Standout of Rotterdam
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Condolences (dir. Ying Liang)
I've always enjoyed attending the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), which perks up a dark and sleety Dutch mid-winter with what is quite possibly the world's most creatively curated large-scale festival of art and experimental cinema. IFFR has always strongly supported Chinese language independent films. And films in Chinese usually do quite well there, having won the top prize, the Tiger Award, quite often in past few years (Flower in the Pocket, Malaysia, 2008; Love Conquers All, Malaysia, 2007; Walking on the Wild Side, 2006, China; The Missing, Taiwan, 2004; Suzhou River, China, 2000).
Even if this year's lineup of new Chinese films might have been a bit less scintillating than usual (though standouts included Yang Heng's Sun Spots in competition, Liu Jiayin's Oxhide II, Lou Ye's Spring Fever, and Xu Tong's documentary Wheat Harvest), one short stood out: Ying Liang's Condolences (Weiwen). And the IFFR jury recognized this: Condolences won one of three Tiger Awards for Short Film. It's a particularly well-deserved prize, in my opinion: this 20 minute fiction short of Ying Liang's is this gifted young Chinese director's best work so far.
Tags: condolences, rotterdam, shelly kraicer, ying liang
Finding Ways to Fit: Mainland Chinese films at Toronto and Vancouver
1428 (dir. Du Haibin)
Part One: Toronto International Film Festival (September 10-19, 2009)
One looks to comprehensive film festivals, such as the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), for an overview of contemporary cinema that offers both breadth and depth. TIFF's expansiveness, for example, allows one to make some judgments about the relative place of particular kinds of film in the world right now. I would like to try something of the sort with Mainland Chinese cinema in the context of TIFF, in particular how several new films might be situated in the world-cinematic scene.
Although Jia Zhangke seems in the process of retooling his cinema to head in new directions (though his public reaction, uncomfortably aligned with the Chinese government's, to the Melbourne Film Festival Affair gives one pause), Jia-ist cinema, through its profound effect on most younger independent Chinese directors, seems lately more restrictive than liberating in its influence. Film language in "mainstream" indie Chinese films (both docs and features) seems to have temporarily congealed into something like formulaic liturgies: fetishization of the long take, the distant camera, the objective tone, the unedited minutiae of daily life.
At the same time, commercial Chinese film has adopted its own pathologies, giving us a series of big budget bloated historical epics cautiously tucked away, far from the sensitivities of the Film Bureau, into genres that are safely protected from any possible overt contemporary relevance. Several of these latter works found their way into TIFF, which has frequently, in the past ten years, extended a generous welcome to foreign fare that might attract the attentions of North American distribution. Since sword-wielding costumed Chinese actors sold in the past (thanks, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and your progeny), they have gained a marketable sheen that TIFF is one of the key agents in promoting.
Tags: chinese cinema, cui zi'en, Film Festivals, queer china, shelly kraicer, toronto, vancouver
Posted in Chinese Cinema Events, Chinese Cinema Today, dGenerate Titles, Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | 3 Comments »
Shelly on Film: Pushing Beyond Indie Conventions
Betelnut (dir. Yang Heng)
Perhaps I've been spending just a bit too much time watching movies in China? I have this recurring daydream, most often when I'm watching a new Chinese film that some enterprising young director has sent me. I always watch every independent film that I receive. You never know what gems might appear unsolicited in the mail. And, even if the film isn't so terrific, it will still be a useful index of all sorts of interesting trends: it might reveal what young filmmakers in China are filming, how they are looking at the world around them, or, at least, what they think people like me want to see.
The daydream, or perhaps it's a fantasy, is this. There exists, down some dusty grey hutong alleyway of Beijing, a Chinese Indie Director's Discount Emporium. You want to make a film? Step right in and assemble your movie at bargain prices. The shelving on the left is stocked with cast members: long-haired village boys, out of school, drifting aimlessly. At the back is a set of grainy, dusty, brown-grey village-scapes, ready to be populated by said drifters. To the right, useful equipment. Some tripods, but with a restriction: they must be set up at least 50 metres from the subjects being filmed. Right beside is a very long long shelf, holding 3 minute, 10 minute, even 20 minute-long takes, offered for a steal at family-sized package prices. Alternatively, you could go for deep discount on little DV cams, with the proviso that, held close to the subjects, they be shaken as vigorously as possible. The dialogue shelves in the centre are threadbare: screenplays for rent are all dialogue-light. And, off in a corner, is a shelf labelled "Prostitutes". It's over-loaded, with a three-for-the-price-of-one sale.
This may seem a bit mean. But the people I'm making fun of here, in fact, are international film programmers like me (I select Chinese language films for the Vancouver International Film Festival), not the filmmakers themselves. It seems that many of us (my colleagues from other film festivals, and wouldn't exclude myself) sometimes seem to select films armed with a checklist of "East Asian art film attributes", the things that populate the shelves of our hutong indie shop. Who can blame a young director from China, who, with little or no chance of gaining any return on his or her investment within his own country, tries to design a film to suit those foreigners who pay the bills, fund post production, and just might offer an overseas distribution deal?
Tags: betelnut, chinese independent cinema, little moth, liu jiayin, oxhide, peng tao, shelly kraicer, wanma caidan, wu haohao, yang heng
Posted in Chinese Cinema Today, dGenerate Titles, Shelly Kraicer on Chinese Film | 2 Comments »
Shelly on Film: What is a Chinese Film?
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
San Yuan Li (dir. Ou Ning, 2003)
What is a Chinese film? Ever since I've started living and working in Beijing over six years ago, most serious discussions about Chinese cinema ultimately come down to this elemental question, either in its descriptive mode (what defines a Chinese film?) or in its more urgently prescriptive version (what should a Chinese film be?). Often, it's filmmakers themselves who seem most anxious about the issue. Behind it lie several subsidiary anxieties: "What do Westerners want from Chinese films?", "What's my role in Chinese society?", "Are films art, or commerce, or politics?"
Tags: china, chinese cinema, chinese film, cui zi'en, documentary, enter the clowns, film bureau, film festival, ghost town, independent film, liu jiayin, meishi street, ou ning, oxhide, san yuan li, shelly kraicer, what is a chinese film, zhao dayong


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NYC's Best Off-Broadway Shows, Performances
Filed Under:Best Of New York, Drunk Shakespeare, Fringe Festival, Fuerza Bruta, Off-Broadway, Plays, Theater, Then She Fell, White Rabbit Red Rabbit
(credit: Drunk Shakespeare)
(credit: Facebook/ThenSheFell)
You don't have to spend half of your paycheck to see a good show in NYC. Here are five of our favorite off-Broadway plays and performances that will definitely turn you into a theater nut. By Carly Petrone.
Drunk Shakespeare
More: Best Interactive Shows In Times Square
If you're a fan of Shakespeare and booze then you'll love Drunk Shakespeare, the hilarious interactive play that takes place within a hidden library. Grab a seat in the front row and you could be a part of the fun. Five actors take the stage while one of them drinks five shots of whiskey and then attempts to perform a major role in a Shakespearean play. Every show is different, thanks to the drinking rotation – there's even a selected King and Queen from the audience (who get to sip on Moet) and take control over the entire evening. Find out more about this 90-minute show here.
(credit: A Microwaved Burrito)
More: Best Places To See Stand Up Comedy In NYC
It's Fringe Festival time! Starting August 12, you can watch more than 200 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies. This popular festival has helped launch numerous off-Broadway and Broadway transfers, long-running downtown hits, and regional theater productions. Past performers include Mindy Kaling, Bradley Cooper W. Kamau Bell, and more. Whether you're into comedy and improv to puppetry, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Tickets are $18 and can be found here, and festival runs through August 20.
(credit: Fuerza Bruta)
More: Best Dance Studios In NYC
Hurry up and get your tickets to see Fuerza Bruta! This theatrical thrill ride combines euphoria-inducing live music with breathtaking aerial displays. Diqui James premiered this fun and engaging show in Buenos Aires back in 2003. Since then, millions of people have witnessed this truly interactive experience. This completely non-verbal performance uses music, dance, acrobatics, aerial imagery, and awe-inspiring visual displays and set designs to tell a not-so-traditional story.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit
(credit: Facebook/WhiteRedRabbit)
More: Best Pre-Theater Dinner Spots In Midtown
You've never quite seen an Off-Broadway show like White Rabbit Red Rabbit. Accomplished actors from both the stage and screen star in this original show that has no director, set, or rehearsals. Yep, you read that correctly. In fact, the play's sole performer is simply handed a script for the first time as they step up on stage. This allows the actor and audience to discover the play at the same time – it also gives the writer's voice a different tone with every single performance. Intrigued? Get your tickets here. Performances begin at 8 p.m. every Monday evening. Upcoming performances include Michael Urie (8/22), Darren Criss (8/29), Billy Porter (9/12), Justin Bartha (9/19), and Stana Katic (9/26). All proceeds will be donated to the LGBT Center in Orlando for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
Then She Fell
More: Must-See Opera Performances In NYC
Make your way over to Brooklyn and be a part of the immersive theater experience that is Then She Fell. This production combines a hospital ward, the writings of Lewis Carroll, and only 15 audience members per show. Guests get to explore a dreamscape where every alcove, corner and corridor has been transformed into a lushly-designed world. Discover rooms and hidden scenes, encounter performers one-on-one, and unearth clues during this multi-sensory experience. Don't forget to grab an elixir from the mixologist at the bar. Tickets start at $95, but check calendar for details.
For the latest on all of the Tri-State's events and happenings, follow us on Twitter!
Carly Petrone is the founder of Petrone on the Rocks, a lifestyle site about food, drinks, beauty, travel, and more. She lives in New York City.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The 2018 ASEAN-Australia Codeathon, which brings together experts from around the region to work on new approaches to counter terrorism financing, will get underway in Sydney on Wednesday 14 March.
AUSTRAC, Australia's financial intelligence agency, will host the 32-hour event involving about 100 technology and innovation specialists in the lead up to this week's ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2018.
AUSTRAC CEO, Nicole Rose PSM, will formally launch Codeathon on Wednesday morning, with the theme 'Leveraging innovation to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and cyber risks'.
On Friday 16 March, the Minister for Law Enforcement and Cyber Security, the Hon Angus Taylor MP, will announce the Codeathon event winners.
The Judging Panel includes, Tony Sheehan, the Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Co-Ordinator, Dr Maria Milosavljevic, Chief Information Security Officer for the NSW Government, Dr Alex Johnston, Head of Technology, Thomson Reuters Australia, Alex Scandurra, CEO Stone and Chalk, Paul Xuereb, Secretary Blockchain Association of Australia, Dr John Moss, National Manager, Intelligence, AUSTRAC and Leanne Fry, Chief Information Officer, AUSTRAC.
There will media opportunities to speak with these experts and participants and some of these judges will be available.
Media representatives who would like to attend the event should register on the Codeathon Eventbrite web page by 5.00pm AEST on Tuesday 13 March.
7.45am - Registration opens. You will be required to present photo ID.
8.30am to 9.00am - Opening ceremony, including announcement of challenges, with celebrity MC Adam Spencer.
You will be required to present photo ID if it is your first time attending this event.
8.00am to 10.00am - Awards Ceremony, including door stop interviews.
Please contact the AUSTRAC media team below for details of the location of the event.
There will be live updates by following @AUSTRAC on Twitter.


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(JWR) --- (http://www.jewishworldreview.com) HISTORY IS UP TO ITS OLD TRICKS AGAIN. The dangerous radical of one generation is becoming the conservative icon of another. The idea of freedom asserted in one era is disdained in another. The people grow confused and want to turn back, for the wilderness appears impenetrable, freedom a fraud and the fleshpots of Egypt alluring. The prophet is no longer what he once seemed.
And so Martin Luther King Jr. emerges as an American conservative, the definition of which is someone dedicated to preserving the gains of a liberal revolution of another age. Booker T. Washington underwent the same transformation in history.
After all, what could have been more conservative or more American than Martin Luther King's now-classic speech before the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963? It sounded conservative even then to those with ears to hear and minds to comprehend, for it was rooted in traditional values.
Is any passage more frequently cited against the quota system called Affirmative Action that has replaced the dream of equality? Is any passage so clear a call for what is most missing in American politics today -- character?
So does the revolutionary of one age become the conservative of another. Call it progress.
Nothing was clearer about Dr. King's dream than the transformation of political struggle into morality tale. Which explains his effectiveness. He appealed to a common moral ground. He understood that victory consists not in vanquishing the enemy, but winning him over -- making a friend of an enemy.
To hear his voice again, and to try to compare Dr. King's words with the already forgotten agitation of the Million Man March, is to understand the difference between ideas that endure and slogans that are uttered in a day and disappear in a day.
Martin Luther King's ideas were rooted -- in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, in the Bible and its moral imperatives. He knew the power of the old ideas he was bringing to bear anew. A preacher's child, he had grown up with them.
Martin Luther King was a child of the Bible Belt, and a product of the black church -- surely one of the most revolutionary and conservative institutions in American history, and still one of the most potent and promising even its now weakened state.
No, that Baptist preacher out of the South did not entered this struggle with empty hands; he was the prophet armed with weapons far more powerful than physical ones.
Dr. King was not out just to conserve certain ideas, but to use them, to make them take flight again, to bring them to life. He would use those ideas to shame those who dared call themselves conservatives while denying every uplifting precept of the Bible and Constitution and their own rearing.
If his arguments didn't work on his enemies, Martin Luther King was prepared to love their enmity to death. He understood that he had an ally in the heart, and mind, of his adversaries. And he never stopped appealing to both.
It was a good question, a bitter question with an ironic thrust. But as it turned out, black Americans had quite a bit to conserve. So do we all: the words of the Declaration of Independence, with their universal promise. The rule of law. The Bill of Rights, including the right of peaceable assembly. The chance for an education -- a real education and not the placebo too often sold to the children of the poor and despised, isolated in our slums.
When the revolution that Citizen Kropotkin had welcomed came to his homeland, Russia was cast into the darkest of darknesses. All rights would be lost, and they would not be seen again for most of this dark century. Kropotkin's jeer still echoes with irony, but now it is an unintended irony.
The revolution that Martin Luther King Jr. led could not have succeeded if he had not managed to unite so many Americans -- of every race, religion and political persuasion -- behind his demand for simple justice. His was an appeal not to ideology, but to conscience. He searched for common ground, for a moral basis for political policy, and found it.
"Black and white together,'' the demonstrators used to sing. You don't hear that song any more. Which may explain why the civil rights movement stopped moving. It became infected with the same racial myopia (Black Power!) that it had once fought.
Segism of a different color, an equal but opposite reaction, would make a comeback in American history. A new black intelligentsia would appear that knew not Martin. His would not be the name embroidered on the baseball caps of another generation. The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. would give way to the frustrations of a Malcolm X, or the demagoguery of a Louis Farrakhan.
What happened? Maybe the character of the enemy, or at least its tactics, changed. Martin Luther King Jr. did battle with "a darkness that could be touched,'' to borrow a phrase from the Book of Exodus. The darkness of those years was as undeniable as the Jim Crow laws, the separate water fountains, the back of the bus. ... In those days, the enemy was as loud and snarling as Bull Connor's police dogs, as unmistakable as the violence of the mob, as transparent as Southern governors playing the race card.
Today's darkness evades touch. It goes to and fro in the land, and walks freely up and down in it, recognizing no racial or political boundaries. It ensnarls the courts in endless disputations that defeat good will and destroy learning. It substitutes bureaucratese and educanto for simple justice and individual opportunity. It resegregates by Race and Gender and Ethnicity and Language and Minority and Majority, and generally makes many out of one, reversing that most American of mottos, E Pluribus Unum.
The darkness has learned how to use the law to reconstruct barriers between Americans and re-establish racial and ethnic divisions in law and policy -- in the name of progress and justice.
But the light can be blinked only so long. Americans grow impatient with new rationalizations for old injustices; the new segism is proving as brittle as the old. John Marshal Harlan's old ideal of a color-blind Constitution is being rediscovered by the courts, the politicians, the people.
The, yes, radically conservative ideas of Martin Luther King are being seen as liberating once again. It turns out that all Americans have a lot to conserve, and we may even be starting to realize it. Our own Kropotkins begin to lose favor.
One can tell a lot about an age by the heroes it chooses. While the Malcolms and Farrakhans come and go in favor, Martin Luther King Jr. remains. And his continuing presence in the American pantheon affords hope.


While I'm still procastinating about what I think about the Sigma DP2M overall, there is one undeniable fact about it. It has unbelievably good image quality in terms of sharpness and clarity at its base ISO of 100.
The quality of this Foveon sensor was the reason Sigma gave for the incredibly inflated price they charged for the Sigma SD1 when it first came out. It was Sigma who asserted that this sensor could give quality comparable to that from Medium Format digital cameras. Whether or not that is true, I cannot check since I don't have a MF digital camera. However I do have lots of other cameras (11 at the moment!) so that gives me an opportunity to check it out against some others. So I chose an Olympus OM-D fitted with the Panasonic 12-35mm zoom, a NEX-7 fitted with a Sigma 35mm f/2.8 and my Nikon D800E fitted a 24-85mm zoom.
Now when I processed the Sigma raw file, at the top of the page, in Sigma Photo Pro software (my only option) it had no added sharpening, as from my (limited) experience, these files don't require any. So to make it a fair comparison I processed the other three raw files in Photoshop CS6 using ACR with also no added sharpening, not even the camera raw defaults.
But again to make it fair, Sigma have made some strong claims about the quality of this sensor, so in terms of my comparison I thought it fair to upsize / interpolate the Sigma files to an equivalent pixel size of the cameras I was comparing it with. In all cases the Sigma file was smaller.
I'll discuss what I saw here and then at the end there is a link so you can download the full size high-res. images to see for yourself.
To do this the Sigma file only required a small amount of upsizing and I was unsurprised that it looked sharper than the Olympus file. As with all the examples here, there are colour and contrast differences, but since these can be altered to taste I'm going to ignore them. We are obviously talking about a fixed lens compact camera against an extremely versatile interchangeable lens camera here, but this is just about the image quality.
The OM-D is reputed to have a weak(ish) AA / low pass filter, whereas the Sigma doesn't have one because it doesn't need one due to the layered sensor. As you will see, if you check out the high-res, the difference isn't huge, but it is clearly there. Speaking personally I just love the "pop" of the Sigma file anyway. Not as accurate colour-wise as the Olympus but I prefer it.
Interesting comparison this, since I used the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 on the Sony, which is obviously very compatible with the Sigma lens on the DP2M, which looks like a scaled down version of the NEX lens.
Once again despite the upsizing of the Sigma file its still sharper. Again I must make the point that the Sigma file has no sharpening whatsover. In SPP the sharpening was set at zero and I added none in Photoshop. In fact if you read Michael Reichmanns review of the Sigma in my previous post, you will see that he talks about applying "negative sharpening" to some Sigma DP2M files, and having taken a lot of images yesterday I can see where that might be required.
From my perspective I will have no problem about upsizing the Sigma files to this 24MP size and uploading them to picture libraries. In fact I've decided on that as my default size for the camera. Not quite as mind-bogglingly sharp as at their native size but still sharper than anything equivalent. Interestingly, I looked at some Sony RX1 files yesterday, only jpgs. but I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I'm willing to bet a DP2M file upsized looks better. Provided of course its at ISO 100.
Incidentally, if anyone is waiting for an ISO comparison on the DP2M, then you will have to look somewhere else. I'm not even going to bother to do one. The Sigma is a "one-trick pony" and I'm not moving it from its base ISO, unless its impossible to get the shot and its the only camera I have with me. Firstly, even at ISO 200 the image deteriorates far too much for me and secondly I don't see the point. This camera is designed for one thing, to provide the best IQ possible at its lowest ISO. To use it at any other setting seems such a waste. I imagine I won't even have to state that this is no way an all-round camera in any sense of those words. Low-light - forget it, fast-moving subject - forget it, high burst rate - forget it, choice of lenses - forget it. If you are looking for a camera that gives you incredibly detailed images with a top quality 30mm prime lens, when you have the time available to make sure you get it right, then this (might) be the camera for you. If you want it for the kids, holiday snaps, grab shots or street photography, get something else since the DP2M isn't designed for any of that and will not do a good job. If you want and / or need wide-angles, telephotos or zoom then you are obviously looking at the wrong review.
It is a VERY specialist camera, and fortunately it fits in with what I do, however it can't be stated clearly enough that you have to be very sure that this is what you want. Its not SD1 launch prices, but its not cheap. Though I'm somewhat reticent to make any judgements as yet, what I will say is that its the best of its type. Though to be honest it may well be the only one of its type!!
Now this has required a substantial upsizing of the Sigma file, and the results are nowhere near as clear cut. However, Sigma's claims for the technology and the value they initially put on it, need this comparison to see if there is any truth in them. For Medium-Format and top of the range DSLR users, pixel count is important. Sigma saw (misguidedly in my view) a possible professional takeup of the SD1, and if this was ever going to happen then the Foveon sensor has to be capable of providing BIG files for clients. Here, ISO 100 only isn't that much of a problem. MF cameras aren't particularly great at higher ISO's anyway and its actually very rare that a photographer shooting commercially for advertising or editorial would consider anything other than base ISO anyway. Wedding photographers and reporters would use higher ISO's but I'm pretty sure that Sigma didn't have those in mind anyway, and if they did they were sadly deluded. Still life, Landscape, Architecture, Studio Fashion, Advertising and Portraiture are obvious examples of where a Foveon sensor could work well. It needs a lot of light (or a tripod) and / or a controlled environment to work in, but its not beyond the bounds of possibility that it could be considered as a "professional" option for certain situations.
Now whether the DP2M will ever get bolted onto a tripod and pointed at Prada or Versace we can only speculate, however I think it would have to be a pretty confident and highly regarded photographer who would feel able to do that.
So how does the Sigma stand up against the Nikon? Well firstly, I should say that I bottled this a bit. I didn't want the Sigma file to be "embarrassed" so I picked a Nikon lens that isn't the sharpest I have. The 24-85mm is far from a bad lens, but lets just say I could have picked something that was slghtly "crisper".
In the end I needn't have worried. The upsized Sigma file, though demonstrating a few interpolation artefacts, stands up very well. I still think the D800E, even with the zoom is the better rendition, but the fact that I'm even considering comparing the two says a lot. For magazine and brochure reproduction, even with cropping, I really don't see much of problem in using the Sigma file. For high-end advertising, maybe there is. Anyway I'm not sure that any "pro" would take the risk. I can see how for certain commercial uses the Sigma version would be acceptable, but does it stand REALLY close scrutiny at 100% on a huge monitor? I'd be inclined to say no.
So all in all I believe that the Foveon sensor in the DP2M is a pretty amazing thing. It does produce some wondrous looking images under certain circumstances. Its obviously not the answer to life, the universe, and everything in photographic terms but it sure beats the hell out of a lot of highly regarded cameras.(You know who you are!) If resolution at low ISO's is your thing then you may love this camera and the fact that its almost on a par with a 36MP Nikon is pretty remarkable. I don't think it lives up to claims that Sigma made for it in attempting to justify the SD1 launch price (What would??) but its still a pretty impressive piece of engineering. Unless you want to dramatically upsize the files, then its a step closer to bringing two-dimensional reality back home with you and putting it up on your screen. If thats what you want then its certainly an option.
However I would just mention battery life and viewfinder, which I'll come on to in later posts, which do tend to restrain my enthusiasm for the camera somewhat. However for low-ISO image quality I'd give it 10/10. I've certainly seen nothing better in front of me on my screen.


In Cappadocia there are more then 15 Balloon companies and the standart tours are 20 to 40 personcapacity the baskets.Some of which.
I can recommend.The balloon flights start around 05:30Am, and finish around 08.00 or 08:30 Am. The actual flight time is 1 hour.
The Balloon service will drive you to and from the hotel.
It is important to note that balloon flights are dependant on the weather conditions.
If the weather conditions are not ideal, the flight will be re-scheduled.
Also, weather conditons are variable, so it is extremely important to reserve your balloon flight at least 1 or 2 days ahead of time.
The prices of the companies I recommend for the balloon tours range between;The price is for per person.
160 to 180 Euros depending upon which company you choose to fly with.
A large Anatolian breakfast will be waiting for you when you return to the hotel.
Some balloon companies are making discount for hotelier 30 euro per person.
We have applied to this discount for our hotel guests.
Because the pilots are perofesionel and balloons are new and the tour is the Deluxe.
The campany have new balloons,The basket capacity is around 14 or 18 person,Normal prices is 180 Euro.
But for our hotel guests special rates 150 Euro per person.
Please let me know your decision.I book your balloon tour reservation before you come.
Also there are private tours:The basket capacity is around 8 or 12 person,The actual flight time is 90 munites.Normal prices is 240 Euro.
Turkish Night Show: Turkish Nights offer a full meal with various courses and usually a choice of the main course with unlimited alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.
Horse Back Riding in Cappadocia: Experience the incredible and unusual beauty of Turkey's Cappadocia region from the back of a horse.Something like a cross between the Grand Canyon and a moonscape, Cappadocia boasts some of the worlds most unusual and spectacular landscapes. Traversing the countless valleys and mountains by horseback brings riders in touch with the area's breath-taking beauty. Forget the tour buses or even the rental cars - this astonishing region of Central Anatolia is truly best seen by horseback.
Your ride may also include visits to some of Cappadocia´s incredible cultural treasures such as Byzantine churches carved inside caves, fascinating underground cities or the area's traditional craftmaking centers. Join us for an hour, a day or a week for a truly unique riding experience in beautiful Cappadocia.
Transfers: We provide regular shuttle service from Kayseri Airport to The Village Cave. Upon request we provide private transfers from different locations. Please contact us for schedule, availability and reservation.
Restaurants: Our indoor and terrace restaurants are in the service of you. Besides this, we may personally recommend you nice restaurants in and around Cappadocia.
Whirling Dervishes: The Whirling of Dervishes is one method of polishing the human heart, a 700-year old discipline that allows a devotee to experience the immediate... What was striking then about the sema ceremony they performed was its symbolism.
TREKKING: A highly specialized 'Walking Tour' that takes you into traditional village life of Central Cappadocia. Visiting local homes and rock-hewn villages, exploring many spectacular lesser known valleys will impress you. You can hike through many valleys of Cappadocia that offer a variety of hiking experience from one to four hours and more. Paths lead through vineyards and past streams.
1th day; we visit Goreme Open Air Museum consisting of five Byzantine Orthodox churches.
You can enjoy Turkish cuisine in restaurant.
Cappadocia.Approximately 350 people are employed in the carpet school.And this school,Depends on the state ministry of national education.In the carpet school,Given free Japanese information.I highly reccommending you to see this school,Becouse every things are real hand made.
The tour begins with a visit to Pigeon Valley which is large panorama valley continuing to Uchisar.Still pigeons live in the hole of cave.
Then to the Ihlara Valley which is the largest, deepest and the longest canyon in Cappadocia. The valley is like a paradise with its beautiful nature and rocks.Some animals like sheep to belong to local people can be observed.We hike about 3km beside the river in Ihlara Valley.After hiking Lunch in Belisirma.And continue to Selime for taking pictures by the pinnacles where some of the filming of "Star wars" was located.


I think it is really cool that cell phone accessory companies have already responded to the need for iPhone 5C cases, and iLuv is on it. The La Pedrera is the first iPhone 5C accessory that I have reviewed, but it certainly won't be the last.
You might notice an odd meshy-look to it, and it certainly is unusual. It is apparently designed by Antoni Gaudi, a renowned architect. It is also made of a sculpted polycarbonate shell, and it is easy to put on the iPhone 5C.
Apparently, the card has holes in it to show off the iPhone 5C's new colors, and it comes in blue, pink, white, yellow, and green. You can get it on the iLuv site for $19.99, and it is quite cool.


What if the Romulans had the chance to design a ship with Reman's Scimitar capabilities and transforming abilities? That's the rationale behind the Shamshir, Flambard and Kopesh designs, the latest offspring of the technology exchange between Romulans and Remans. In the spirit of my previous Romulan designs, (just like the Romulan Star Empire) these ships want to look bigger than they really are. Just like on Earth, authoritarian regimes love immense war machines to show off their power. Their aggressive looks and massive sizes should be enough to make any alien race to think it twice before attacking them. They win by pure intimidation alone.
Even though the designs use the Scimitar as a starting point, during concept what I really had in mind was a lionfish. While on flight the ships should look like lionfishes on the hunt. The challenge was to integrate the lionfish motif with ever present bird element of previous Romulan ships.
After concepts & sketches of these new Romulan ships were approved, we had a fairly specific goal to accomplish: a very Romulan looking series of ships in the vein of the Scimitar. These ones also had to feel like they fit into a family -- not unlike the Scimitar, and its sister ships, the Falchion & Tulwar.
As with many other bundles, each of the three ships were going to slightly lean towards one of the career paths in the game, Tactical, Science, & Engineering. There are some design motifs, and general shape language we desired to implement into the ships to help the ships visually fit into their appropriate categories.
Starting from a fresh slate is always a challenge, especially considering the parts of the new ships have to fit in with all of the parts of the old ships. While this provides a great basis for proportions, it is also a challenge in the sense that we have to follow a specific set of variables in order to get the ships to match up when a player decides to customize their vessel. A new ship with no "siblings" is far less constrained when it comes to the visual appearance. We also have to consider any animations, hull materials, and window options.
As we finished up the first ship, we progressed onto the others, using the first as a base. As always keeping in mind parts of the variants, and keeping each variant feeling like they're part of the same family. The science leaning variant generally has more exposed sections, allowing you to see some of the underlying working features of the ship, while the tactical version has a more aggressive passive stance, and maybe even a more streamlined look, when compared to the engineering version. These features can be seen in the backswept nacelles, as well as the relatively thin wings and winglets of said variant.
As the last ship is finished up, and put into the game, we generally make a final pass on all of the variants to be added. This last pass includes adding windows, as well as placing and adjusting visual effect nodes throughout the ship. These last touches to each ship help finalize, and keep the series of vessels feeling like they belong in the same family, as well as helping unify the old with the new. Hopefully these ships fit nicely into the family begun by the Scimitar.


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Vitamin D Protects Arteries
In Life Science
Not only it helps repair the endothelium, but slows aging, improves its structure and function and decreases the load of collagen, which is what hardens the arteries.
ARGENTINA – A group of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the National University of Tucuman and the Higher Institute for Biological Research (INSIBIO) in Argentina, conducted a study on the effects of vitamin D in the cells of endothelial precursor phenotype. These cells are derived from bone marrow and play an important role in the repair of the endothelium (tissue lining inside blood vessels).
The team conducted studies in experimental animals and found the protective effects of this vitamin in the arteries. Not only it helps repair the endothelium, but slows aging, improves its structure and function and decreases the load of collagen, which is what hardens the arteries.
The team is led by Dr. Maria Biology Bruno Peral and doctors involved Turoni Joo Claudio Ariel Alberstein, Juan Muntaner, Juan Carlos Santos, Alfredo Coviello and biochemist Paul Saguir. In addition students make up the group of Medicine: Hassan Chabán Jose pallier, Magdalena Frias Silva, Gaspar Olaso, Julieta De Boeck and Irina Mamaní.
Alberstein listed as the first author of the work and who brought the idea of working with endothelial progenitor cells. The specialist explained to Argentina Investiga that although vitamin D was postulated long ago as cardiovascular protection factor, this hypothesis was later discarded.
Bruno Peral said his research group has studied the endothelium and vascular arterial problems over fifteen years ago, but only in the last year they began to unravel the effects of vitamin D on these cells and the vascular system. On the tests, he said that vitamin D administered in animals orally and daily for four weeks. Then controls performed to verify vascular function and the release of nitric oxide (which is a protective substance endothelium).
As a result they found that nitric oxide levels were increased in the arteries of rats and the new endothelial cell population was protected. But also they verified that the arterial tissue became more effective because it increased their ability to contract and relax.
Turoni Joo said that vitamin D is used in patients with renal impairment and that the new contribution of this research is to test its effects on vascular protection from the beginning, ie from before damage occurs. He said that they found in their research that the arteries supplying vitamin D aged slower, improved function, decreased load of collagen and blood pressure is not disturbed.
The researchers explained that their investigation is a translational model, ie, carried from the laboratory to the patient. Translational research involves transferring knowledge from basic research to prevention and treatment of problems detected in the clinic. It aims to minimize the distance between laboratory results and patient care.
Therefore, they began to measure the effect of vitamin D in patients who already use the nutrient but had kidney problems. Then, they started monitoring using flow cytometry and other complementary tests as measuring vascular function, endothelial function and nitric oxide levels. The next step is to observe in patients with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, if vitamin D also has secondary preventive effect.
In conclusion, Bruno Peral said only a blood sample can predict whether these cells are increased and strengthen intake of vitamin D for repair and secondary prevention in patients with cardiovascular disease. While Joo Turoni added that the research shows a new side of this nutrient, which could protect the arteries of people, even before vascular damage occurs.
The researchers received the Bicentennial Award for their presentation during the Third Multidisciplinary Congress of Cardiology, held in Tucuman and involving more than 500 professionals in the country and about a hundred researches were presented.
The Higher Institute for Biological Research (INSIBIO) is the first institute of dual dependence in Tucuman (CONICET-UNT), and is made up of four working groups: the Developmental Biology, Nutritional Biochemistry, Physiology and Bioengineering. It is located in Chacabuco 461 in San Miguel de Tucuman and brings together a hundred people, including researchers, administrative and support staff.
arteries


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Q: Where did the expression "falling down on the job" come from? What is the origin of falling down on the job? What did it originally mean?

A: According to Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (1994) the idea behind the phrase "fall down on the job" goes back to the nineteenth century:

fall down Fail to meet expectations; lag in performance. For example, It was disappointing to see him fall down on the job. This expression transfers a literal drop to a figurative one. {Second half of 1800s}

Not surprisingly, the earliest Google Books matches for the phrase occur in the context of work. The earliest of them are from the period 1904–1907. From Theodore Roberts, Hemming, the Adventurer (1904):

My Dear Captain Hemming: — Your stories reached me and were immediately set up and distributed broadcast. ... Be prepared to start East at the shortest notice, and please look up some one, an experienced man, of course, to keep an eye ob Cuba for us, should have to leave. A man who knows the country, and is immune from yellow fever, would be of more value than an experienced journalist. We have journalists here, but I fear they would fall down on the job.

In this instance "fall down on the job" unmistakably means "fail to perform adequately," but whether their probable failure—in the dispatching editor's opinion—is connected to the likelihood that they will fall ill in the tropical climate or to some other cause is not clear.
From The Wood-worker, volume 23 (1904):

We must have certain new machines, or certain new changes must be made before things will give the proper results. I find this more especially the case where the man has some scruples about being able to fill the position; he thinks that by making a whole lot of demands some of them will not be heeded, and if he falls down on the job this will be a means of letting him down easy—it was the fault of the machines, not the man.

From L.H. Robbins, "The Goddess of the Beach," originally for the Newark [New Jersey] News, reprinted in Book of the Royal Blue (October 1905), a publication of the Passenger Department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad:

Women have been men's encouragers since Adam got the sack from the garden. But they fall down on the job too often. The young man tries to tell his troubles to his best girl, and she, like Copperfield's Dora, doesn't want to hear about disagreeable things. The married man goes home from work with a burden of care upon his shoulders, and his wife wants to talk of the shortcomings of the washer-woman, the iceman or the grocer.

Here we already have not only a clearly metaphorical falling down on the job, but a clearly figurative job: acting as "men's encouragers."
And finally, from James Creamer, "Referendum Results," in Machinists' Monthly Journal (February 1907):

I also wish to to remind those would-be reformer that the duties of a Grand Lodge officer are somewhat different from the usual routine of a local lodge. It is all work and I am of the opinion that some who think it easy would soon fall down on the job or under it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Cho Oyu 2000
(8201m) 6 members summit the sixth highest peak in the world.
Cho Oyu, seen from 5250 metres (photo taken on the trail down to Chinese base). The route follows through the obvious right hand face, and the true summit is on the left center of the photo, across the summit plateau. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
The drive into Nepal: On September 6, our Cho Oyu expedition team prepared their equipment and supplies in Kathmandu. On September 7th, we crossed the Nepal/Tibet border by bus, and truck, and we made our way to the town of Nyalam, on the same day. During our road trip, because the Friendship Highway was badly damaged due to unusually heavy floods, we were forced to change vehicles 4 times, and run through a boulder-shooting rock slide in the middle of the night. Gratefully, we rested in Nyalam the following day. The team headed to the village of Tingri and basecamp, while Dan Mazur, representing Bristol, England, and Montana, USA, stayed behind for a few days, to recover from the flu.
Our main basecamp, on the Gyabrag moraine at 5650 metres. Our solar powered communications tent in basecamp. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Arrival in basecamp: On September 11th, the team arrived in Chinese basecamp, located at. 4800 metres, on the Gyabrag River. On September 12th, Walter Keller, representing Pittsburgh, had located an adequate place for basecamp, at 5650 metres, on the Gyabrag Moraine.
Jobo Rabzang, a 6666 metre peak that we watched daily from basecamp. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
This spot was quiet, peaceful and secluded, affording views of several stunning peaks, including a challenging-looking 6666 metre peak, by the name of Jobo Robzang . Our three Tibetan cooks, two Chinese climbers, two Nepalese climbers, and the rest of our team, representing 8 nations, established a comfortable basecamp.
Walter walking through the Gyabrag Moraine to the cache and camp 1. Rod Richardson, packing up in camp 1. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Establishing camp 1: On September 16th, Walter Keller, Jon Otto, representing Chengdu, China, and Bellingham, Washington, Phil Crampton from New York City, Yang Li Qun and Chen, from China, as well as Jangbu Ang Shera Sherpa and Durge Tamang, from Nepal, established Camp 1 where the scree slope met the Balung Glacier on the north west ridge of Cho Oyu at 6400 metres. Along the way, they made an equipment cache at 6000 metres, at the base of the horrible scree slope which leads to camp 1. For the next several days, the team worked to establish a fixed line through an ice cliff at 6800 metres, and were thwarted just shy of camp 2 when Yang succumbed to snowblindness.
Yang recovering from snow blindness, tea bags on his eyes. Durge, posing next to the tent we erected in camp 2. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Establishing camp 2: On September 22nd, Dan Mazur and Durge Tamang established camp 2 at 7100 metres on a plateau above a headwall on the northwest ridge.
On September 24th, Dan Mazur and Jangbu walked to camp 3 at 7500 metres, perched on a rock ledge under the great northwest face. They cached two tents and one stove there.
On October 30th, upon returning to camp 2, we discovered one of our single-wall goretex tents had been removed from its tent platform. The tent had been securely staked down with many guy-lines and bamboo wands, and had disappeared from a group of tents, where others, less well attached to the earth, had not been touched. We presumed it to be stolen.
On October 31st, Rod Richardson, representing Nevada, USA, departed basecamp with a stubborn case of pulmonary edema, which refused to respond to treatment.
Tim, Phil and John Arnold, climbing the lines we fixed in the icefall. Our camp 3, with views into the Gyachung Kang region. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Establishing camp 3: On October 1st, Durge Tamang set up one tent in camp 3, and spent the night there. He reported the other tent had been stolen from the cache. On October 2nd, Dan Mazur, Ian Hatchett, representing Sidney, Australia, and Crested Butte, Colorado, Timothy Boelter, representing Minnesota, and John Arnold from Alberta, Canada, moved into camp 3, where they erected two more tents.
Dan on the summit, Mt. Everest behind. Photographer Tim Boelter. Copyright: www.mountainzone.com Durge and Tim on the summit. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Climbing to the summit: On October 3rd, Dan, Tim, and Durge climbed to the true summit of Cho Oyu via the northwest face in cold, windy, and sunny weather, reaching the real top at exactly noon.. Ian and John turned around at the rock band just above camp 3 in the still-dark early morning in extremely cold conditions, Ian with frozen hands, and John with a detached crampon and no headlamp.
John Arnold and Ian Hatchett, enroute to camp 3 The black speck at the edge of the distant plateau, between the two climbers, is camp 2. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Apparently, they had stood beneath the rock band, and tried to re-attach John's crampon, but had become discouraged as the climbers above, including Tim Boelter, kicked down a quantity of ice, rock, and snow upon their heads. John tried again that day, at 8:30 in the morning, joining a group of Spanish and French people he had found encamped in our tents in camp 3, some smoking cigarettes at 7500 metres! Later the same day, the mixed group turned around at 4:30 pm, still well below the summit plateau, sure that they would not succeed and wishing to avoid the darkness.
Franck Pitula and David LePagne, waiting for good weather in camp 2. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Franck Pitula summits: On October 6th, Franck Pitula, representing Paris, France, and David Le Pagne, representing France and Lulle, Sweden, set off from camp 3 for the summit, and while David turned back, feeling ill, Franck continued on, reaching the summit at 4:15 pm.
Obrien brothers summit: On the morning of October 7th, Jon Otto, Phil Crampton, Chris Obrien, representing Philadelphia, USA, and Mike Obrien, representing Chicago, USA, were in camp 3, intending to summit. Phil decided to stay put, feeling symptoms of the flu. Jon and Mike and Chris stepped out into the cold breeze and pre-dawn light at 5:00 am. Jon turned around at the rock band above camp 3, he was feeling ill, and his feet were cold. Mike and Chris continued on and reached the summit around 4:00 pm. On descent, just above camp 3, they faced a dramatic moment when Chris' crampon detached from his foot, and his brother Mike caught it in mid-air while rappelling through the rock band.
Attempted rescue of a Serbian climber: On October 10th, our team tried to help an exhausted Serbian climber who was suffering from pulmonary edema, who we found in camp 1 in deep trouble. His team mates seemed somewhat unable to help him. David LePagne marched him down the hated scree-slope from camp 1. Dan Mazur convinced him not to stay at the cache camp, and encouraged the Obrien brothers, themselves exhausted from summitting, to escort him back to base. The Serbian gentleman was, by this time, nearly crawling on his hands and knees, and saying things like: "Please take me back to city." Dr. Roblee Allen representing Sacramento USA, David Roberts representing Cornwall, England, Jon Otto, Phil Crampton, and others assisted mightily in the rescue.
Carrying the victim on a home made stretcher. Mike, Chris, Doctor Rob, and Phil (standing up and puming the PAC bag). The victim is inside the PAC bag. Doctor Rob, shattered, on the morning the injured climber died. The grave marker. Photographer and Copyright: Jack Jakobczyk.
They eventually had to carry him on a makeshift stretcher made from bamboo poles and tarpaulins. Reaching basecamp at 3:00 am, on the 11th of October, the rescue team put the man into a portable altitude chamber-bag (PAC bag), with oxygen. He seemed to recover by 6:30 in the morning, and when our team unzipped the PAC bag, he was even able to sit up and give the "thumbs-up" sign. However, by 7:38 am, he was dead. Doctor Roblee Allen said that the victim's PH balance was so out of the normal range, due to a prolonged bout with pulmonary edema, that his heart went into fibrillation, and we were not able to resuscitate him. After working so hard to help this fellow-mountaineer, we were all extremely grief-stricken by his death. A respectful funeral service was conducted that afternoon by his team-mates, and we attended as well, and help bury him in the rocks of the moraine, and erect a memorial marker.
John Arnold, standing next to a tent which had the fly-sheet stripped from it in the storm. Photo and Copyright: D.L. Mazur. A view of Cho Oyu during the gale that wrecked our camps. Durge packs up the remains of a destroyed tent. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Wind storm destroys tents: We had predetermined that October 12th would be our last chance to reach the summit, and Yang and Ian waited in camp 3 for their chance. At 3:00 in the morning on a moonlit eve, a stronger-than-usual wind storm blew in, and our tents in camp 1, 2, and 3 were blown away or destroyed. Out of 11 tents placed in our high-altitude camps, only 1 had survived unscathed.
Ian, frozen in a desperate descent from camp 3. Yang making the final abseil-rappel, through the ice fall. Does anyone know where our tents are? The arrows show location of camps 2 and 3, and the summit is actually on the left center of the photo. Photographer: D.L. Mazur, Copyright: www.mountainzone.com
Yang: a false alert: Ian Hatchett descended from camp 3 at 9:30 am, but Yang refused to join him, saying he wanted to sleep. Dan, Durge, and Jangbu, climbed from Camp 1 up the mountain to try and locate Yang, and see what was left of the camps. Luckily, we found Yang at 4:00 pm that afternoon, and escorted him down the mountain, with the help of John Arnold, Jon Otto, and Ian Hatchett. On October 13th, the team finished the job of clearing away the rubbish, broken tents, and the remainder of equipment from the camps.
Return home: On October 14th, as planned, our Yaks and their drivers arrived late in the day, and on the morning of the 15th we walked down to the Chinese basecamp at 4800 metres, where we loaded our things into trucks and departed. With several roadblocks and customs problems, it was an eventful exit from Tibet, but we were able to keep to our schedule and return to Kathmandu, Nepal on the evening of October 17th.


text:
Shared Joy
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0LzPaT8Dwo
Why you will LOSE all your DATA in an EMP attack, solar flare or nuclear war.
Nuclear war, EMP attacks and solar flares can wipe out magnetically stored data. You need to understand the science behind data storage if you hope to protect your data.
What he basically said is that optical media is a safe method to store data, even if it is more expensive and slower. But is more resilient to water, mud. He also said that even if society collapses there might be a recovery and a need to have a backup to your personal data.
Anybody more trained could make some comments?
LQB
Shared Joy said:
The primary threat associated with EMP (whether solar or nuclear) is to the power grid and long transmission lines (communications) of any kind. Electronics of any kind that are connected to these lines at the time of the event are also vulnerable - this includes transceivers connected to antennas. But in general, electronics that are not powered ON at the time of the event should fair well.
See here: https://www.sott.net/article/345096-Nuclear-EMP-Solar-EMP-or-something-else
I'm reminded a bit of the blackout in NYC in 2003. The C's said it was a result of a 4D bleed-through:
https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=21618.msg226782#msg226782
Q: (L) We're screwed! What caused the black out (in New York area)
A: 4D bleed-through. That's why it was more or less pronounced to be "natural".
These recent blackouts look to be related to solar activity, but not sure if a bleed-through and solar activity are necessarily exclusive.
Renaissance said:
Well, thinking along the lines of "everything is connected", that's a good possibility - especially in these times ...
Padawan Learner
On the EMP front, I was listening to Adapt 2030's Ice Age podcast on stitcher radio and his guest Lee (forgot his last name) mentioned that buying a galvanized metal trash can at the hardware store along with the aluminum duct tape to seal it after the lid on is a way to protect electronics. He called it a poor mans Faraday cage. The #17 podcast is about 2.5 hrs long but covers some interesting info in terms of what the sun appears to be doing and future timelines. I recommend a listen to it for anyone interested.
Power outages due to heavy hailstorm.
Photos: Damaging hailstorm hammers Denver ahead of Monday evening commute (Photos - Video)
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/photos-damaging-hailstorm-hammers-denver-ahead-of-monday-evening-commute/70001619
May 09, 2017 - A severe thunderstorm slammed Denver on Monday afternoon with large hail, causing damage and travel delays across the city.
Roads looked as if they were covered in snow due to the amount of hail that fell on Monday afternoon, resulting in travel delays that persisted after the storm had departed.
Hail as large as tennis balls was reported around Denver, smashing car windows, stripping trees of leaves and damaging some houses.
A severe thunderstorm moved over Denver shortly after 3 p.m. MDT and was very slow-moving, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Edwards said.
"Since the storm was barely moving, hail piled up several inches, causing widespread travel problems in the metro area," Edwards said.
Travelers taking to the air were also impacted by the hailstorm with over 150 flight delays reported at Denver International Airport, according to FlightStats.
Over 1,700 electric customers were also left without power around the Denver area in the wake of the severe thunderstorm, XcelEnergy reported.
The threat for severe thunderstorms has passed in Denver, but rain may continue through midweek.
Skyfarmr
South Central Wisconsin, USA
Weird power outage last night around 930pm CST, lights went off, came back on, went back off, came back on, then went off and stayed off. All dark outside and neighbors homes were dark, too, but then couple of neighbors across street got their power back on, but ours stayed off til 2am.
We had rain, but no thunder, lightening or wind... the worst of the front passed 60-90 miles to the south, again, whew!
Talking to neighbors this morning, some strange reports such as house not having power, but garage had power/lights. Seemed to be just our side of the road, however, place across the road was out while the two places next door, lost power at first but came back on after a few minutes. We live in a small township with a single main road passing through, so it's odd that sporadic outage occurred from one place to the next.
One neighbor got a callback from energy supplier who told him that the power outage was due to equipment failure, 89 homes affected. Well, yea, but what would cause one place to only have partial loss of power, and other places to get their power back right away?
Time to think more seriously about getting a back-up power source for the sump pump :/ It's been running a lot with all the rain we've had.
Skyfarmr said:
Hi Skyfarmr, I don't know if this report is from your area? Are you still getting "Winter storms" in your part of Wisconsin?
Power restored in Marshfield
http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/story/news/2017/01/10/power-knocked-out-marshfield/96421042/
MARSHFIELD - Parts of Marshfield lost power Tuesday night for more than an hour as a winter storm swept through the city.
Electricity cut out around 6:40 p.m. in the News-Herald office near Central Avenue and Veterans Parkway.
The culprit: a tree branch hit a line near 17th Street, according to Marshfield Utilities General Manager Bob Trussoni.
The blackout in Panama occurred about 15 minutes into a major speech delivered by President Juan Carlos Varela to the country's legislature.
Massive Power Outage Hits Central America
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Massive-Power-Outage-Hits-Central-America-20170701-0027.html
1 July 2017 - A huge power outage hit Central America on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time, causing blackouts from Panama to Costa Rica to Nicaragua, as authorities across the region scrambled to restore supplies.
Officials at the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity said power was disrupted throughout the entire country but should be fixed later tonight.
"ICE is trying to diagnose the problem," said Communications Minister Mauricio Herrera, referring to the office by its Spanish acronym. He said that workers succeeded in restoring power to some areas of Costa Rica.
Local media have reported minor traffic incidents in the capital and people stuck in elevators as a result of the blackout.
ICE said that the origins of the blackout were outside of the country and urged the public to remain indoors while they try to fix the problem.
In Panama, the ETESA government power authority said via Twitter that the nation had experienced just a "partial blackout" and that workers were trying to restore power to the affected areas.
Nicaragua and El Salvador have also suffered from the outage.
A huge power outage hit Central America causing blackouts from Panama to Costa Rica to Nicaragua, as authorities across the region scrambled to restore supplies.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960411001656
Officials at the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity said power was disrupted throughout the entire country but should be fixed later tonight, TeleSur reported.
A huge power outage plunged millions of people across Central America into darkness Saturday, as authorities from Panama to Costa Rica to El Salvador scrambled to restore electrical service.
Central America hit by massive power outages
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/36234395/massive-power-outage-hits-central-america/#page1
The blackout affected some five million people in Costa Rica alone, where officials largely had managed to restore service after a nationwide power outage lasting about five hours.
Authorities pinned blame for the power outages on a downed Panamanian transmission line that adversely affected the power supply for much of the region.
Countries in the region, from Guatemala to Panama, are connected by the same power grid, covering an expanse of some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles).
But that interconnectedness means that the countries of Central America are vulnerable when there are power grid malfunctions in any one.
Chaos reigned in the Costa Rican capital after traffic lights ceased to function, while the main airport in San Jose had to run on backup power until the power system was up and running again.
The blackout was the first experienced in Costa Rica, among the most developed countries in Latin America, since 2001.
Officials said as many as two million people were left in the dark in Panama, with an undetermined number affected in Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Details were not immediately available about how many people were affected by the blackout elsewhere in Central America, or whether they had managed to get their power systems back up and running.
Officials at the Costa Rican Institute for Electricity said power was disrupted throughout the entire country, but was restored in most places by 6:00 pm (0000 GMT).
"ICE is trying to diagnose the problem," Communications Minister Mauricio Herrera, said earlier Saturday referring to the office by its Spanish acronym. He said that workers succeeded in restoring power to some areas of Costa Rica.
Much of the power was restored about three hours after the blackout started, officials said.
Nicaragua for a time had to tap the grid in neighboring Honduras to keep the lights on.
There's some indication that this blackout may have been caused by a DEBW attack on the Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, satellite. This could have been blow back causing this areas energy collapse. Though the dates do match.
4 Unidentified Objects Take Out Satellite/On Radar! (The Map)
Published on Jul 2, 2017
https://youtu.be/NQ6xsqhDTaU
A SATELLITE MAY BE FALLING APART IN GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT
https://www.n2yo.com/satellite-news/A-satellite-may-be-falling-apart-in-geostationary-orbit/4309
A satellite may be falling apart in geostationary orbit [Updated]
It is not clear what might have caused the AMC-9 satellite to become unresponsive.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/07/a-large-satellite-appears-to-be-falling-apart-in-geostationary-orbit/
Eric Berger - 7/2/2017, 4:55 PM
Sunday 11am ET Update: In response to a query from Ars, the AMC-9 satellite's operator, Luxembourg-based SES, issued the following statement on Sunday morning:
In the early hours of 1st July, the SES Satellite Control reestablished contact to AMC-9. SES and the satellite manufacturer Thales are working around the clock to evaluate the status and define the next steps.
https://youtu.be/8ebIAUjFfZM
On the morning of June 17th, the Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES lost control of a large satellite in geostationary space. A few days ago ExoAnalytic Solutions began seeing the AMC-9 satellite fragment. For annotated still images, go here:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/...
Tracking information received on 29 June had suggested that at least two separate objects were located in the vicinity of AMC-9. Their source has still to be determined. The new piece of information was included by Thales and SES in their investigations.
All relevant operators and agencies are being kept informed and will receive regular updates from SES. The current assessment is that there is no risk of a collision with other active satellites. AMC-9 and its status continue to being tracked by SES and agencies, including the Joint Space Operations Centre (JSpOC) and ExoAnalytic, a private firm and tracking service provider.
Since the incident on 17 June 2017, AMC-9 has been slowly moving westwards with its payload disabled and not causing interference. A majority of traffic has been transferred to other SES satellites and SES is working on a long-term plan to minimize disruption to customers.
Weeden mentioned several possibilities. The AMC-9 satellite itself could have been hit by some sort of debris, or it could have have been harmed by a space weather problem, sustained a failure due to manufacturing. The AMC-9 could have been attacked by something—however, Weeden stressed that there is no evidence at all that this damage was deliberate. In any case, this situation seems sure to heighten concerns over space debris and the safety of assets at geostationary orbit, which in aggregate are valued at more than $100 billion.
NASA's Kennedy Space Center Takes Stock of Irma Storm Damage
By Sarah Lewin, Space.com Associate Editor | September 12, 2017 01:05pm ET
_https://www.space.com/38128-kennedy-space-center-irma-storm-damage.html
Links and tweet's within:
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida remains closed today (Sept. 12) as a team assesses damage caused by Hurricane Irma.
Irma, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, is continuing north-northwest after hitting land twice on Sunday (Sept. 10), in the Keys and then near Naples, according to NASA. The storm knocked out power and water service to the NASA space center yesterday (Sept. 11).
Power was restored to the space center on the Florida's east coast yesterday, but the spaceport still lacks running water, KSC spokesman Al Feinberg told Space.com. KSC and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station host launches of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as well as United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets.
Today at 8 a.m., 120 employees who have taken care of the facilities since Sept. 9 were replaced by 250 members of a Damage Assessment and Recovery Team, who will survey storm damage and prepare the center for its 7,900 staff to return.
"The utility reports that Irma caused no less than 37 breaks to its system on the mainland alone and are not expected to be repaired for 2 to 4 days,"
Feinberg said in an email, quoting an update from KSC Emergency Management.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, as well the adjacent Redstone Arsenal Army post, are both closed today as well based on ongoing weather conditions, according to an announcement on Twitter.
UPDATE: IRMA/Florida Power outage map and HOW LONG repairs could take
https://youtu.be/14eC4n0oXRY
September 12, 2017: Hurricane Irma had knocked out power to more than 5.4 million Florida homes and businesses — about 52 percent of the state — by Monday morning, most of them in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management
Irma now a tropical depression; power out for 1.1 million in Georgia
12:06 p.m Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017
Links pic's Tweets within:
_http://www.ajc.com/news/local/irma-now-tropical-depression-power-out-for-million-georgia/HNeHhNoI8RjplvbGfdqbiP/
More than 1.1 million people in Georgia remained without power Tuesday, and downed trees and power lines cut off dozens of metro Atlanta roads — the parting gifts of Irma.
Flooding left coastal Glynn County closed "until further notice," with St. Simons Island cut off from the mainland. Tybee Island off Savannah was likewise inaccessible. Power was off for about 170,000 people along the coast.
The storm took at least three lives. Two people were crushed by falling trees in north metro Atlanta. A South Georgia man was swept off his roof by high winds.
By midmorning, I-75 south out of Atlanta was carrying twice the normal load of traffic for a weekday: the mass return of evacuees has begun. The Georgia Department of Transportation said state highways are blocked at 236 locations and urged evacuees to wait another day.
"If you're headed back, you really need to know what you're headed back to,"
said GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale.
"A lot of these places in South Georgia and Florida have no power."
There are gas shortages. If they get to South Georgia or north Florida and they run out of gas, there's a good chance they will not be able to get gas.
About 140 flights into and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were canceled Tuesday morning, after more than a thousand cancellations the day before.
Some metro cities and counties began to post lists of closed roads.
Even as Irma was shredding large portions of Georgia on Monday, Georgia was shredding large portions of Irma. The massive storm, nourished for days by the warm waters of the Atlantic, drew no strength at all from the red soils of the Peach State and began to break apart.
As of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, power was still out for about 470,000 customers in metro Atlanta, according to outage maps from Georgia Power and the state's electrical membership cooperatives.
The total, 1.14 million statewide as of 11 a.m., was down from nearly 1.5 million on Monday as utility crews swarmed over the state, working hard to get the lights back on.
DeKalb County had 144,000 customers without power as of 11 a.m., according to Georgia Power's outage map. Electricity was still out for 100,000 customers in Fulton; 33,000 in Gwinnett; 38,000 in Clayton; 22,000 in Hall; and 2,600 in Cobb. The EMC outage map shows an additional 131,000 customers out in metro Atlanta, but it doesn't break down the total by county.
Irma prompted a number of firsts for Atlanta and Georgia:
Atlanta had never been under a tropical storm warning before.
No governor had ever declared a state of emergency in all 159 Georgia counties before Gov. Nathan Deal did so in advance of Irma.
MARTA had never suspended both bus and train service as it did on Monday
"We know that we have many people who want to get off the Island — as we have no power — and many, many more trying to get on the Island,"
said Mayor Jason Buelterman in a social media post.
The city's 911 system is down as well.
"This is a rough day for our community but we will work to get through it all together,
" Buelterman said.
Major storm battering Atlantic Canada with high winds, snow leaves 300,000 without power | CBC News
Posted: Nov 29, 2018 5:48 AM AT
A massive winter storm making its way through Atlantic Canada has forced school closures and flight cancellations, halted ferry services and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power on Thursday morning.
Environment Canada has issued weather warnings in New Brunswick, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Storm Centre: Get the latest closures, outages and travel details
The weather agency said winds could gust to 110 km/h in mainland Newfoundland and Labrador, where snowfall amounts were forecast to reach 25 centimetres in the central portion of the province.
Northern Nova Scotia was expected to get upwards of 20 centimetres of snow, with winds gusting up to 80 km/h before conditions were expected to improve Friday.
Environment Canada said the northern coast of P.E.I. could see pounding waves and surf, possibly causing flooding, while eastern New Brunswick could get up to 15 centimetres of snow and blustery winds up to 80 km/h.
Tiffany Chase, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia Power, said the problem affecting much of the mainland originated in Cape Breton, where heavy snow and tree branches on power lines caused an interruption in the transmission system near Port Hawkesbury.
Meanwhile, close to 39,000 customers were without power in New Brunswick. Most of those customers live in the Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe areas.
Marc Belliveau, a spokesperson for NB Power, said crews were being deployed Thursday morning. The utility also brought in five contractor crews in Miramichi and 10 contractor crews in Moncton.
NB Power likely blew its storm damage budget — and it's not even winter
NB Power blames backyard power poles for extended blackouts
"The biggest issue that is causing outages is high winds — gusting to 80 [km/h] — which is causing tree contact with lines," he said.
In P.E.I. outages peaked at 51,000 customers for Maritime Electric, and all 7,000 Summerside Electric customers were also out.
Schools across Atlantic Canada were closed or had delayed openings, and ferry service between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia was cancelled until the winds could die down. The Confederation Bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick had restricted travel.
Isabelle LeBlanc, director of communications for the City of Moncton, said streets remained slippery and covered with snow.
LeBlanc said salt crews have been out since shortly after midnight and snow removal equipment is clearing city streets.
But she still advised motorists to drive with caution while out on the roads.
"For now everything is business as usual for the City of Moncton."
Codiac Transpo will be out on the roads, but buses could be pulled off if winds start to pick up and reduce visibility.
"Our main concern right now is the wind and the wind is supposed to pick up," she said.
"So we're going to keep a close eye on that."
Al Giberson, general manager for MRDC, the company that maintains the Trans-Canada Highway between Moncton and Fredericton, said there was slush, and snow was blowing and drifting toward the Moncton area of the highway.
"There's going to be some reduced visibility in the eastern section of the Trans-Canada Highway this morning," he said.
The weather doesn't look too bad. So why is the power out?
Tens of thousands of N.S. students being dismissed early as power outages persist
Although the highway was salted, he advised motorists to drive slowly, allow space between other drivers on the road and give themselves lots of travel time.
"We have to be aware of the driving conditions and adjust our speeds and driving style to accommodate that," he said.
"If you absolutely have to [drive], conditions get a little bit better as you travel west but there is a bit of snow and there is some slush on the road."
Potential Outrage's:
Flashback:
Thursday, December 20, 2018, 2:31 PM - The strongest storm in a potentially a decade is barreling towards the South Coast of British Columbia, with significant power outages and damage to infrastructure highly probable.
Powerful winds left thousands of customers without power late Thursday morning, according to BC Hydro, with officials warning of additional outages possible through the evening.
Strong low pressure system crosses Vancouver Island Thursday afternoon
Damaging winds possible across exposed coastal sections of Vancouver Island and across the Lower Mainland
An additional 50 cm possible in the alpine regions through early Friday
BC Ferries cancelled sailings on major routes due to winds Thursday
50,000+ were without power Thursday morning, with more expected through the day. Update on outages, here
ALERTS: Monitor watches and warnings as storms progress, here
Extreme winds are impacting the the South Coast of British Columbia. A similar storm setup to last Friday, which caused nearly a quarter million outages across Washington State and British Columbia. This storm will almost certainly knock out more customers off the grid in B.C. than the previous system that targeted Puget Sound with the majority of power outages.
The image below is a still as we approach peak wind intensity late Thursday afternoon (2-5 PM PT). The amount of isobars (lines in white) across southern Vancouver Island is on the higher end of most windstorms, so we can expect widespread damage and prolonged outages with this event.
Victoria and the the southern Gulf Islands are also susceptible to significant wind damage Thursday afternoon. By early afternoon, the SE winds will be roaring, targeting the Gulf Islands and Greater Victoria, but the winds quickly switch directions by early evening – the southwest wind punch likely peaks after dinner with gusts approaching 90 km/h for Victoria. The winds will gradually ease by early pre-dawn Friday.
HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW CONTINUING
Over 20 cm is still forecast for Whistler in the Coastal Mountain range, with some of this deep powder expanding into the Interior of British Columbia. Parts of SE B.C. can expect over 20 cm of snowfall, especially the mountains surrounding Nelson.
As far as heavy rainfall, the system is mostly drenched the coast and parts of B.C. with the majority of the rainfall associated with this system. Just an additional 10-20 mm possible for NE sections of the Lower Mainland, as we switch gears and focus on the damaging wind threat through Thursday evening. The recent heavy rainfall has made trees extremely susceptible to falling during heavy winds.
WEST VANCOUVER: 258 mm of rainfall and counting through the month of December.
One last note on the winds: Not ALL the Lower Mainland will see damaging winds, winds over the complex terrain have a myriad of possible solutions, and the track of the low being off my only a couple hundred kilometres can have vastly different impacts. Just because your specific neighbourhood isn't experience damaging winds, it doesn't mean the storm didn't produce damage somewhere else, relatively close by.
WATCH BELOW: WHAT MAKES THE COQUIHALLA DANGEROUS IN THE WINTER?
Video / 00:36
Here just east of Vancouver proper we haven't lost power - yet. Some tree branches down though.
Bluefyre said:
Yeah, it's been getting kinda rough on Old Mother Earth over the last 24. Stay safe!


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Shiatsu is a form of holistic bodywork based on traditional Chinese medicine that supports and strengthens the body's natural ability to heal and balance itself.
It works on the whole person, considering the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of being. Shiatsu is used to treat people with a wide range of health conditions, any stress-related problems and for preventative health care. Regular treatments can help to alleviate stress and illness and maintain health.
Your practitioner will treat you fully clothed (including socks) and you will lie on a comfortable padded futon or massage couch. You will be covered with a sheet or blanket to keep you warm and then you will enjoy comfortable pressure and gentle stretches and rotations to adjust your body, and balance its energy flow. It is a deeply relaxing experience, and is also likely to leave you feeling energised after your treatment.
After an initial series of treatments to address specific symptoms, many clients choose to continue receiving regular treatments, typically once a month, as part of their positive approach to maintaining their health and well-being.
Shiatsu is now a popular therapy around the world. The professional Association for Shiatsu in the UK is the Shiatsu Society and members will have the letters MRSS (member of the register of the Shiatsu Society) after their name.
Jane Sheehan, our Shiatsu practitioner, will look at your overall state of health, the symptoms you are experiencing and then put together a treatment plan which is tailored to your individual needs.